Health · Oulu

Oulu, WI health

Oulu differs from Wisconsin on 14 of 40 measures. It has fewer adults facing housing insecurity (7.1% vs 9.7%) and fewer adults facing food insecurity (8.9% vs 12.1%). Where it trails the state: more adults who have had cancer (11.7% vs 8.6%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 54847, 54820
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 477 people are less certain, so we show Oulu's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Oulu compares with Wisconsin

Each theme counts how many of its measures are better, worse or too close to call against the state. Tap one to jump to it.

Chronic conditions

Out of every 100 Oulu adults…

40 of every 100 Oulu adults have high blood pressure
Wisconsin: 33 in 100 · worse · margin 36.3–43.6%

Bars show Oulu; the black tick is Wisconsin. Tap a condition to see it as people.

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Oulu, betterOulu, worseToo close to callWisconsin
Get no exerciseshare of adults 26.5% Oulu
WI 26.6%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 30.7% Oulu
WI 32.6%
Binge drinkshare of adults 16.6% Oulu
WI 19%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 13.1% Oulu
WI 13.6%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Oulu adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Wisconsin.

80%
Yearly checkup
WI 78%
70%
Dentist visit
WI 67%
90%
Cholesterol check
WI 86%
72%
Colon screening
WI 69%
80%
Mammogram
WI 80%
83%
Taking BP meds
WI 78%
1 in 17
working-age adults has no health insurance
Oulu 6% · Wisconsin 1 in 13 (8%)
Mind & connection

How Oulu adults are doing

1 in 4Oulu adults feel lonely
28% · Wisconsin 30.6% · too close to call
1 in 4Oulu adults have been diagnosed with depression
23.1% · Wisconsin 23.2% · too close to call
1 in 6Oulu adults lack social or emotional support
18% · Wisconsin 20.2% · too close to call
1 in 7Oulu adults are in frequent mental distress
14% · Wisconsin 15.5% · too close to call
Everyday needs

Making ends meet

Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.

1 in 11
Oulu adults worry about having enough food
8.9% · WI 12.1% · better
1 in 14
Oulu adults worry about keeping their housing
7.1% · WI 9.7% · better
1 in 24
Oulu adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
4.2% · WI 5.5% · better
1 in 19
Oulu adults lack reliable transportation
5.3% · WI 6.7% · better

9.5% of Oulu adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 12.5% across Wisconsin.

Disability

Living with a disability

31.3%

of Oulu adults live with a disability (Wisconsin 29.4%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs15.4%
Thinking or memory11.5%
Hearing8.8%
Errands alone7.6%
Vision4.3%
Dressing or bathing3.7%

Black tick: Wisconsin. Shown without a better/worse judgment.

Around Oulu

Oulu and the towns around it

Pick a measure to shade the map. Darker is worse for health. Pins are hospitals and community health centers in and near Oulu.

Tripp: 38.5% Orienta: 38.7% Brule: 40.6% Hughes: 39.2% Cloverland: 40.9% Barksdale: 40.9% Iron River: 38.5% Washburn: no data Port Wing: 38.5% Maple: 41.3% Highland: 40.6% Lake Nebagamon: 41.2% Barnes: 40.4% Delta: 38.9% Oulu: 38.9% Oulu Tripp Orienta Brule Hughes Cloverland Tamarack Health Ashland Medical Center · Ashland · 28.9 mi · 3★ MedicareH Northlakes - Iron River · Iron River · 5.9 mi+
38.5%41.3%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#5 of 14towns on this map, healthiest first
Tripp38.5%
Orienta38.7%
Oulu38.9%
Hughes39.2%
Brule40.6%
Cloverland40.9%
6 places to get careNearest ER 28.7 mi

Nearby towns are shaded from CDC's estimates for their ZIP codes, or CDC's own figure for cities and villages.

Getting care

Care in and near Oulu

No hospital or community health center in Oulu itself. These are the nearest.

HNearest ERAspirus Lake View HospitalTwo Harbors · 28.7 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyTamarack Health Ashland Medical Center★★★★★ · 28.9 miDirections →
+Low-cost careLakes Community Health Center, Inc theIron River · 5.9 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
5.9 mi
Lakes Community Health Center, Inc the
5 sites · nearest in Iron River
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
27 mi
Lake Superior Community Health Center
3 sites · nearest in Superior
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
28.7 mi
Aspirus Lake View Hospital
Two Harbors · not rated
ERRural critical access
28.9 mi
Tamarack Health Ashland Medical Center
Ashland · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
29.5 mi
St. Marys Hospital Superior
Superior · not rated
ERRural critical access
30.5 mi
St. Lukes Hospital
Duluth · ★★★★★
ER
✓ Primary careOulu is not a shortage area
✓ Dental careOulu is not a shortage area
! Mental healthOulu's county is a federal shortage area.Ashland/Bayfield/Douglas/Iron/Sawyer/Washburn Counties · need score 17 of 25

Hospitals: Medicare overall star ratings, 1–5. Community health centers charge on a sliding scale by income. Distances are straight-line from the center of Oulu. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Oulu
MeasureOuluMarginWisconsin
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure39.9%36.3–43.6%33.3%worse
High cholesterol41.9%38.1–45.7%34.4%worse
Obesity38.9%33.1–45%37.7%about the same
Arthritis33.1%29.8–36.3%26.6%worse
Depression23.1%20.2–26.3%23.2%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)9.6%7.9–11.8%9.9%about the same
Asthma10.7%9.6–11.8%10.8%about the same
Cancer (not skin)11.7%10.7–12.8%8.6%worse
Diabetes13.1%11.3–14.9%11.4%about the same
COPD7.6%6.6–8.8%6.5%worse
Heart disease8.6%7.6–9.5%6.6%worse
Stroke4%3.6–4.5%3.4%worse
Habits
Smoke cigarettes13.1%11.1–15.4%13.6%about the same
Binge drink16.6%14–19.4%19%about the same
Get no exercise26.5%22.5–30.8%26.6%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours30.7%25.6–36.1%32.6%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup80.3%77.4–83%77.6%about the same
Dentist visit70%66.9–73%67.1%about the same
Cholesterol check89.6%88.2–90.9%85.9%better
Colon screening72.3%68–76.4%69.4%about the same
Mammogram79.5%72.9–85%80.3%about the same
Taking BP meds82.5%80–84.8%77.8%better
No health insurance6%4.9–7.3%8%better
Mind & connection
Feel lonely28%23.9–32.2%30.6%about the same
Lack emotional support18%15.3–20.9%20.2%about the same
Frequent mental distress14%12.4–15.7%15.5%about the same
Fair or poor health17.7%15.3–20.4%17.8%about the same
Frequent physical distress14%12.3–15.8%12.9%about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity8.9%7.3–10.7%12.1%better
Housing insecurity7.1%5.9–8.4%9.7%better
Utility shut-off threat4.2%3.6–4.9%5.5%better
No reliable transportation5.3%4.6–6.1%6.7%better
Receive SNAP9.5%7.8–11.4%12.5%
Disability
Any disability31.3%27.5–35.3%29.4%
Walking or climbing stairs15.4%13.3–17.7%13.4%
Thinking or memory11.5%10.1–13%12.8%
Hearing8.8%7.8–9.8%6.9%
Vision4.3%3.8–4.8%4.5%
Dressing or bathing3.7%3.3–4.1%3.5%
Errands alone7.6%6.7–8.7%7.9%
About these numbers

How CDC estimates town health

They're modeled estimatesCDC combines a large national health survey with each area's age, sex, race and income mix to estimate local rates. Nobody surveyed Oulu door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Wisconsin figure falls inside it, we don't call Oulu better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Oulu by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Oulu by how much of its land each one covers.

CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Wisconsin figure combines its counties, weighted by adult population.

Health estimates: CDC PLACES. Hospitals and star ratings: Medicare Care Compare (CMS). Health centers and shortage areas: HRSA. Town boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau.

The door’s open

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01